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Thermostat Battery Replacement -- Here's How It's Done

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Changing thermostat batteries should be an annual task, and to help yourself remember, you may want to have it coincide with the first day of fall or the day that clocks are turned back an hour -- whatever works best for you. Nearly all thermostats run on batteries, and they all need changing annually. If you don't do an annual thermostat battery replacement, you may find the display goes blank or you may experience erratic behavior from your home's heating and cooling system. It's a very simple process taken step by step, as outlined below.

Tips for Thermostat Battery Replacement

Take the thermostat off the plate on which it's mounted. If it doesn't easily come off, you may need to slide it upward. Many assemblies are constructed like this for stability and safety.

Turn the thermostat over on its backside and, after locating the battery removal slots, remove the old batteries with a flathead screwdriver. Most of the time, these will be either AA or AAA batteries, but it could also be the button-style lithium battery.

Install the new batteries, noting where the plus and minus signs appear on the housing of the thermostat.

Replace the housing on the wall mount, remembering to slide it down the wall mount if that was necessary during removal.

If you have a programmable thermostat and the batteries run down, your programming may be lost, so you'll have to re-program the unit after thermostat battery replacement.

The battery also prevents heating and cooling systems from shutting down when there's a power outage, so it really is important to monitor battery life. The thermostat will generally display a message when the battery strength is low, but you should plan on annual replacement anyway.

For more on thermostat battery replacement, or other expert advice on home comfort issues, please contact Comfort24-7.com. Our network of certified contractors proudly serve the areas of northwest Indiana, southwest Michigan, and the greater Chicago area.